Astronaut

I wasn’t planning on being out tonight. My replacement was getting here sometime this evening, and I wanted to be around to debrief them before I took off. My wolf, Freyja, had been pestering me to go for a run, but I had finally gotten her to quiet down and settle for running when we got home. I had picked up on some rumblings about rogues a bit too close to town, though, so I kept my ears perked. But, when I caught wind of Gamma Derek calling off patrols in a particular area, I knew I had to go. 

It was just my luck that there would be some sort of development right as I was supposed to be leaving town. I grumbled to myself as I shifted, letting Freyja come forward and take us to the area of the border that patrols had been told to vacate. 

We hunkered down behind some foliage on the forest floor, doing our best to obscure the light blonde coat. The trace scents of a rogue were present, but quite far off yet. The Gamma’s scent was present, and much closer. I wanted to go closer to the border, find a better vantage point, but Freyja kept me rooted to the spot. 

She sat up abruptly, ears perked. The wind carried along the scent of something… something. It was all consuming and… magical. I couldn’t help but smile at the warmth that seeped over my skin. 

Freyja gave no warning before pulling away, leaving me sitting on the ground. I looked around frantically, trying to find the source of that smell. I just knew what it had to be. 

I stood up, still trying to place it. I couldn’t see anything, though. It was only getting stronger, threatening to swallow me whole. It was the comforting smell of a bonfire with notes of cedar. Maybe if cedar was being burned? It was exotic and it was homey, all rolled into one. 

I took a step back, cringing as leaves crunched and a twig snapped underfoot. It was loud. Too loud. Even if I had every suspicion that my mate was closeby, I still needed to stay under the radar. Gamma Derek couldn’t find out he was being watched. 

I didn’t even have the opportunity to gasp or scream when a hand clamped down over my mouth, pulling me backward into a solid wall. No, a very solid body. But, I quickly melted into the feeling of a warming fire licking over my body. Nearly every inch of my skin was pressed up against him.

'Mate.'

Freyja knew. I knew. He had to know. All I needed was to see him, to say it. I struggled against his hold, trying desperately to turn around and just see him. 

“Come now, little bunny,” a rich, husky voice rasped in my ear. I swooned at the sound, wanting to listen to it for the rest of my life. “Every rabbit knows that you must stay quiet to avoid being someone’s next meal.” 

He buried his nose in my neck, slowly tracing upwards to just behind my ear. My legs felt weak. If it weren’t for his arm around my waist securing me to his chest, I would have probably collapsed. His lips trailed back down my neck and he nipped lightly at the junction of my shoulder. I mewled, the sound barely audible through his hand that was still braced over my mouth. For a fleeting moment, I thought he was going to mark me right then and there. 

“Run now, bunny,” he breathed, fanning his own personal musk over my cheek. 

I felt his arms loosen around me, and before I knew it, he was gone. I truly did fall to the ground without his support. I took in big, gasping breaths, trying to drink in every bit of his scent. When I could finally struggle to my feet, I whipped around, trying to find him, but he truly was gone. I took a couple steps in the direction his scent led, but was quickly stopped by his voice. 

“Leave,” he demanded. 

Freyja pulled me back, slowly taking over and forcing a shift. As soon as four paws were on the ground, she tucked tail and ran. 

'What are you doing?' I cried. 'That’s our mate!'

'It’s not safe,' she insisted.

'We could help! You know our training!'

I could feel her tense at my words, but she still refused to turn around. There was no winning this battle, so I gave up. I was well integrated with my wolf, and the feeling of having no control of her was terrifying. 

Lya had told me a bit how she felt when her wolf would take over before she came to the pack. If experiences like this were all she knew of our wolf counterparts, I’d be scared of it and try to get rid of it, too. 

'This is for the best right now, please just trust me,' Freyja pleaded.

So, with no other choice at the moment, I did. I slunk back as Freyja brought us back to where my clothes were hidden. She didn’t even release control once shifted. It wasn’t me that dashed into the barracks, gathered my stuff, and loaded it into my little Corolla. Even Cody noticed it when he picked up his phone. 

“Rose,” he greeted tersely. 

“Is the other scout here yet?” my wolf snapped at him.

“Yeah, he should’ve -” There was a pause on his end of the line. “Freyja?”

“Is the replacement here?”

“Freyja, what’s going on?” 

She ended the call, and kept hold of her control until we reached the apartment building where most of the warriors lived. 

Cody met me at the entrance to the building, arms crossed and a dark expression on his face. He studied me before he said anything. 

“Talk.”

I just shook my head, unable to find words to even describe what had happened.

Cody grabbed my chin, forcing me to make eye contact. He was examining my eyes, determining who was in control. 

“Rose, what happened?” he growled. 

I stuttered, unable to come up with a response. 

“Do I need to go up there?”

I shook my head vehemently. “No.”