~Dakota’s Point of View~
*Well I expected all these boys to be blithering idiots in front of us, but I didn’t expect this crap. The Goddess is NOT funny,* Laney says, sighing at the scene before us.
Our mate. And he’s just as stupid and dumb a male as the rest of them! Thanks a lot Goddess!!
I’d prayed for a simple, loving male. One that wouldn’t be intimidated by a female Alpha. But that’s like asking for the moon and stars. No male wants to be second fiddle to me. And this one? Ugh! I don’t know who he is, but he’s just like the rest. Big head and big… Hmm. Well, size isn’t everything.
Like my virgin body would know. But still, if you’ve seen one naked male you’ve seen them all!
Right?
DON’T STARE!
*There’s always rejection and while I don’t want a weak and pathetic mate…* Laney says, eyeing the male who’s stammering like he’s been caught tugging one out. I have enough brothers to know, sadly.
But he’s kind of cute. Certainly smells good. And because he was showing off we got a nice snack with no effort. Though my pounding head doesn’t seem to care.
Ignoring the catcalls and whistles, I brush the dirt from my skin and hold my head high. I’m already at an insane disadvantage here, but I’ll be damned if I show it. If I let them think I have any weaknesses just because I have a vagina.
They expect me to freak out over getting a little dirt or blood on myself. They expect me to cower and cry, be weak like a good little female. They’d just fall all over themselves if I asked for help.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you little boy. You’ll fuck this all up on your own, of that I have no doubt. I’m not sure where you’ve been all my life, but you can go right back there,” I say, holding my head high. I turn on my heel and walk away from the male I now know for certain is my fated mate.
But if he thinks I’m going to fall to my knees and bare my neck to him, he’s got another thing coming. For all I care, he can just stew about it.
I have a brief mental freak out that he’ll out our secret, but I tell myself he has just as much to lose as me.
A series of “ooohs” and laughs break out, but I don’t stop to watch their theatrics.
I walk with no real plan, no sense of direction. My wolf paces in my throbbing head, half wanting me to go back.
Thankfully no one is following me, so far so good.
I’m supposed to find Dex. Probably short for Poindexter. He probably wears suspenders and has glasses. What a dork name!!
But it doesn’t matter if my partner is a wuss. If I need to take him out and win on my own, so be it. My pack expects nothing else less anyhow.
*Why do I suddenly feel like the human in this relationship,* Laney whines.
She’s feeling exposed and bashful. She also has suddenly let my sixteen years of training fly out the window. All because a hot boy that smells good and actually has dimples and beautiful eyes and--
I stop for a brief second to look down at my body. I’ve never cared much before about nudity, but I’ve also never been on a mountain with thirty naked males with hard bodies that won’t get to see let alone touch a female while they’re here. And some that are desperate enough to know they aren’t making it out of here … which makes them even more dangerous. Males boxed in with no options are the worst kind of threat.
My parents, well really my entire pack, have constantly warned me of the dangers I’d face here. Not from the woods … no. That I can handle, But a desperate male is a very stupid male. While it would take a lot for me to be overpowered, it could happen and that isn’t lost on me. So really… Are clothes going to make any kind of difference? Doubtful. Either way I’m dangling a prime cut piece of meat in front of a starving animal.
I sigh and keep walking. A stream would be nice. I could get some mud and try to mask my scent a bit. Though I’m certain that damn mate of mine could now find me down a well filled with concrete.
After a couple minutes, the snap of a twig close by puts me on high alert. Laney forces me to take a deep breath and I can only cringe at the all too familiar waft of smoke like someone’s got a fire going.
What’s it mean if you literally reek of a campfire? It’s like a giant smoke signal that says, “ABSOLUTELY NOT!”
*I can certainly think of worse smells,* Laney says, as we wiggle our nose.
Yeah you’ve only been around about five months wolfie! I’ve had to deal with his pack my whole life!
“You okay,” I hear, just over the breeze. I push my lips into a hard line but keep walking.
*We knew he’d be here,* Laney sighs.
“I made it clear to you months ago that I wouldn’t need any help here. I’m no different than any other would-be Alpha,” I mumble, changing direction.
But I stop instantly as my foot immediately mushes into a giant mound of poop. The scent hits my nose and I instantly sneeze.
“Damn it,” I shout, shifting my weight to one leg and trying to kick off the yuck.
“Ohh wow, looks like a bear and pretty fresh,” the male says, excited.
I roll my eyes. I turn slightly to spin just as another something gooey gushes between my once otherwise clean toes. Before I can even protest, I lose my balance since both feet are now tainted.
But strong hands grab my shoulders, and hold me up. I blink fast and look right into the eyes of the male who has spent years convinced that he’ll get me. By any means necessary.
“I don’t need any--”
“Help, yeah sure Dakota,” he says, flashing a perfect white smile.
I attempt to straighten, but once again lose my balance. And of course, he’s right there to catch me. This time when I look at him, he’s absolutely gawking at my jiggling tits.
“I don’t have the energy to pretend to like you today Harley,” I spit, and pull my arm free of his grasp. It’s risky to have any male’s smell on me, and I know he touched me on purpose.
Moving quickly to a grassy area, I try to clean my feet.
“If that means you’ll like me on other days I can handle losing just today,” he says, in his usual arrogant way.
I ignore him, but anytime he’s close I have to keep my wits about me. He absolutely can’t be trusted. Though I know without a shadow of a doubt that if some male did try to attack me, Harley would take their head off before my back even hit the ground. I don’t want to get too comfortable with that thought though.
*We need to find that stream,* Laney whines, making our nose wiggle again.
“Ah-choo,” I sneeze.
“I’d offer you a hanky but… no pockets,” Harley jests.
I look up to see him tapping his belly. And of course, there’s absolutely no movement. No pudgy spots on his body whatsoever. It just isn’t fair. No matter how many crunches I do, any kind of repetitive exercise, I still have a little jiggle in my belly. My boobs are still too big and hang lower than I’d like.
It’s all I can do to keep my eyes above his waist, though I’ve hunted with him before and am fully aware of his endowments. While impressive, it in no way makes up for the rest of him.
And the ego that walks two feet in front of him. All the males of his family are the same.
“How are you always so annoying,” I groan, struggling to get clean.
“I mean, I sleep too. So, it’s not like I don’t get a break,” he replies, without a second thought.
This is literally how it always is with him. Battle of the moronic wits. I’m not in the mood today!
I turn away from him and begin walking again, but Laney knows that Harley is behind us. Staring at our butt I’m certain.
*Ohh! Ohh! I hear the stream, that way,* Laney says, almost surprising herself. I abruptly turn and keep moving until I finally find it.
“Had you not been so stubborn I could have shown you the way,” Harley says, as I walk right in.
The water is a bit cold, probably too much for a normal human. But for an angry she-wolf, it’s bliss.
“Yeah, you’re gonna go really far in life. Let’s just hope you stay there,” I say, but I don’t look back. I hear him clicking his tongue.
“Always so damn feisty. I guess you haven’t realized this by now Dakota, but it’s hot as fuck. Everything about you turns me on so say whatever you want,” Harley says, as I hear him splashing around.
I roll my eyes and quickly move to find a deeper spot. I squat down and clean my toes until I’m satisfied. With my head just above the water line, I take a brief second to admire how pretty it is here.
“Blood creek, gonna be a bit more muddy today,” Harley says.
I make a face at that. How could I forget the name? The beauty here is nothing but a facade.
“Don’t you need to go find someone,” I say, still not looking at him as I begin to rub water over my shoulders and arms.
“I’m right where I want to be Dakota. A month stuck on a remote mountain with you? Yes please,” I hear, just over my ear. Even though he’s probably a foot away it’s like I feel his warmth.
Laney stirs in my mind, unsure what to think. But we know without a shadow of a doubt we don’t trust this male.
I turn and narrow my eyes at him, but he only looks down at me with a serious expression. The same one he had when he proposed we mate so I wouldn’t be subjected to camp. Because he was supposedly “in love” with me and only concerned for my safety and well being.
What a load of shit.
With that fresh in my mind, I push my feet onto a flat rock and rise to my full height. I expect him to gaze over my body as I know he wants to. But he doesn’t, for once he keeps eye contact.
“Get the fuck away from my--”
The sudden boom of the unfamiliar voice makes us both turn our heads. The male who knocked me over stands on the side of the creek, his hands on his hips. He looks like he’s a second from being murderous.
“My partner! Get away from my partner and go find yours,” he barks, his voice loud and commanding. Instantly my eyebrow raises, and Laney stands on her hind legs like she’s trying to peek over something.
“Partner? Seriously, you’re Dexter,” I groan, deciding to ignore them both.
I squat back down and resume my bath as I hear Harley move.
While later on in the month Dex and I may be forced to be enemies, right now we’ll have to rely on each other. If one of us dies because the other failed to act, we’ll be an easy target. Likely pulled to pieces.
*Ohh shit! This is gonna be good, ohh yeeeah,* Laney cheers.
She’s not wrong, but I can’t let on that watching them fight would be the highlight of my week.
My year.
Stuck on Blood Creek Mountain with my fated mate and the male who nearly abducted me so his pack could overthrow mine and take Misty Glen as their own.
How on earth did I get so lucky?
~Dex’s Point of View~“My name is Dex, not even short for Dexter,” I state, as the female I now know as Dakota scoffs.The bold tattoo on the male next to her, tells me exactly who he is, and that I have to get him the fuck away from her. I’d carefully studied the top five would-be Alphas that would be here, and I know damn well he’s the worst. The fact that they know each other makes me sick. I’ll have to get to the bottom of that. Thankfully my pack is isolated, we don’t really have any enemies. But I know that isn’t the case for most.How the hell did I miss a female Alpha though… Well, I’ll blame that on everyone who was supposed to have researched these people. I had a whole team who wasn’t supposed to have missed shit like this!!*Must be from some small, nothing pack,* Kent chides, snickering to himself. Not that Shadow Cove is all that well known, but we like it that way.My wolf has already determined our mate needs us, she’ll fall in line like a good she-wolf. So naive. Even
~Dakota’s Point of View~“Why don't you have any tattoos,” I whisper, still not believing that I’m cuddled up to my mate. At Alpha camp.“Haven’t earned them yet. I’m not putting some freebie shit on my body. Some mark that tells everyone what my family line is, what was handed to me at birth. I’ll be a fourth generation Alpha, because I earned it,” he says, as he tightens his arm around me, pulling my back against his chest. I pull my knees up to my chest and get comfortable.I instinctively touch my birthmark. Literally the first thing anyone sees when they look at me. I was never self conscious about it until I started filling out and looking at boys. People stare at it all the time, I imagine it's hard not to. My grandmother has a similar one but I guess it skipped a generation. My mom can’t even remotely understand that while it does make me feel a bit special, it also makes people constantly look away from me. If a wolf is marked, it’s usually a bad omen… So people say.“I hat
~Dex’s Point of View~*Damn I’m so full, now we need a nap,* Kent says, nearly falling over.Our eyes wander to our mate who is licking her paws clean, happy with a full belly. While a massive sense of pride fills me for providing for my girl, I need to get her away from this deer, and the corpse that isn’t far. Kent pushes with all he’s got to stand, then we find the clothes and pick them up. Thankfully, Dakota’s wolf gets the hint and we take off. When we find a new overhang just before dark, another boom echoes in the forest. We both shift immediately, and take in our surroundings. It’s the ever constant reminder that I need to keep my focus, but my heart doesn’t get that message. The useless organ only wants to cuddle up with our mate, and do things that are dangerous.“I don’t even know how many that is now. Four? Jeez,” she whispers as she gets dressed. It’s a solemn feeling. Each cannon boom should make us excited, but it doesn’t. Not everyone here will die on the mountain,
~Dakota’s Point of View~ “Ooohhh oooohhh! Ooohhh oooohhh,” I call, using my hand as a makeshift megaphone to taunt whoever might be out there. “This is insanity. I don’t know if I have the balls to do this, so what makes you think they will,” Dex whispers. “Well I guess I’ll be the only one on this mountain with balls,” I snicker. I squint as I gaze up at the sun. The pounding of at least two four-legged animals are in the distance, making my brain twitch. Just standing here like bait absolutely goes against all my training. I quickly blink and turn to look down over the cliff to the water below, the waterfall that is absolutely gorgeous. There’s no way to know how deep it is below, this could be suicide. “Got a better idea on how to get the word out,” I say. Dex half turns toward me, and the look on his face is unreadable. It’s clear he’s not happy and yeah… I’m backing him into a corner. But I have to try. The footfalls are heavier now, closer. “You say that like anybody is
~Harley’s Point of View~ Hmm, hmmm. Hmmm. My wolf stirs in my mind, unsure what to think. *I don’t like it, something is up. But how do we get her to talk to us? Now we’ll have to get rid of that puppet to get to her! Talk about a cock block,* my wolf snarls, pissed beyond belief that Dakota is not our partner. My father went to absolute great lengths, even offered bribes to get her as my partner. She’d have to watch me day in and day out defend her. Hunt for her. It’s what I need, I am a provider, it’s just in my DNA. And I crave that female and the fact that she pushes me away pisses me off to no end. There’s no doubt she’d be in my arms every night. I carefully tap my lips, lost in thoughts of her creamy skin. “What are you gonna do Alpha Harley,” Mitch questions. I bite the inside of my cheek hard, and draw blood. For whatever reason it calms me, helps me think. And Jaxson heals it within a few minutes anyhow. “What have you found out about this shit stain Dex,” I ask, loo
~Dakota’s Point of View~ *I hope you know what you’re doing. Things are in motion, no going back. I think Harley will want to please us,* Laney says, as she licks her paws clean. That’s both good and bad, jeez. He’s the last person I want to have a debt owed to, especially because I know fully well he does not forget… a thing. I sigh, and look over at the wolf I now know to be Kent. Kent. Kind of like… uppity huh? I mean, I don’t know what I expected his wolf to be named but not that. *Well at least he keeps catching our meals so I can just relax ohhh, I’m exhausted,* Laney boasts, as she turns to her side and stretches. I mentally roll my eyes. Exhausted from what exactly?! Within seconds, Kent is on his feet and then rubbing his nose against our head. Laney and I both practically hum with the contact. Okay sooo maybe having a male around isn’t so bad! At least our wolf mate is sweet. The human mate… ehhh still figuring him out. Wolves are so much simpler. *Because he doe
~Dex’s Point of View~ “Stay here,” I say, as I carefully but quickly lift my mate off my lap and pop to my feet. “Fat chance,” she says, and I see her snatch up her shirt and put it on in a swift movement. Kent makes me watch her tits as they move, they’re fucking hypnotic. “Alpha dies, distracted by tits in battle.” Not because someone else was the better male, but because of titties. And the intense smell of her arousal on my face, on my hand that I can’t wash off. Probably wouldn’t be the first time a headline was out like that, but I can’t afford to let it be me. There’s no hiding the smell of sex from a wolf. Snarls and growls are close and I suddenly feel like I need a weapon. But having one means I can’t shift. I take the chance and grab two large rocks with sharp edges. Dakota copies me and we move out of the cave. It's barely thirty seconds before we’re at the fight, and when the four males see us, they stop dead in their tracks. They all look mean as snakes and my
~Dakota’s Point of View~ “I feel like Robin Hood, just without the money,” I rave, as I pluck a camera from a tree and throw it back against the hard bark to smash it. Dex smiles, and it’s absolutely genuine. That was probably camera number twenty that we’d gotten rid of, and we were having an absolute blast. I love seeing him like this, just happy and carefree. He’s even gotten a bit of PDA in while we’ve been out today, though we knew nobody was around. Still, it’s a glimpse of what life with him might be like. Freely able to hug and kiss, snuggle and nuzzle with my mate. *It’s been amazing, but we really need to get on to the good stuff,* Laney protests. I bite my lip, but quickly get butterflies when Dex turns around with a handful of blueberries. My eyes light up and I greedily take them. He’d already found a pecan tree this morning, and we both stuffed ourselves. All I’ve been doing is wondering what our life will be like in a month, in a year. When things are more simple.