Chapter Twenty Four

Staying in my wolf, I bounded through the valley, enjoying the scents and sights surrounding me, and in my innocence, I let my guard down and forgot to keep up my masking scent, a rookie new wolf mistake.

Ari and Aslan had been lying in their watering hole, cooling down after the hunt, and their Pride slept under the trees nearby.

Her scent hit their nostrils, and both the young males sat up in surprise. They looked across at their father, Kimba, who was the King of their Shifter Pride; they were his twin sons and heirs. A knowing look passed between them, and they slunk slowly out of the water, making sure they were not seen by anyone from the Pride.  As soon as they could, they began to run through the low undergrowth in the direction of the delicious female scent.

I had no idea Shifters came in all shapes and animals. I was still coming to terms with being a wolf, so when I bent to drink the cool, clear water from a mountain pool, it never occurred to me that I was being tracked. They stayed downwind of me, enjoying the hunt, and when they caught sight of the stunningly beautiful she-wolf drinking at their water hole, their interest was piqued.

‘Why hadn’t she noticed them? Surely she could scent them?’

They mind-linked each other as they split up and began to circle her, not quite sure what to make of her.

I stood in the cool water, letting it ease the heat in my paws; we had run so far for so long that every bone in our body ached. My head hung low, and I panted shallowly, exhaustion making me drop all my defences. I  was starving too, and the water I had drunk did nothing to ease the gnawing hunger in my belly. There was nothing for it, repulsive as it was to me as a human, I knew I was going to have to let Solar hunt and kill another animal, or we would starve to death.

‘I am an apex predator, Dakota, hunting is part of my DNA. I can feed us easily, you just have to let me do what is as natural to me as breathing.’

Solar was about to say more when the scent hit her, and she froze, lifting her head and sifting through everything coming to her from the pool.

‘No, no, no.’

I  felt her fear and rising panic.

‘What is it, Solar?’

I asked my wolf if her senses were so much sharper than mine, and when she began to pace in a small circle, my heartbeat increased.

‘No, no, it can’t be.’

She growled softly, and I could not prevent the shudder of fear that slid down my spine.

‘Solar, you are scaring me. What can you scent?’

‘Lions.’

My wolf whispered and then took off at a run toward the trees, panic making her run faster than she had ever run before,e but we never stood a chance. The twins had anticipated my running and positioned themselves to keep me going so they could run me down just as they would any other prey.

‘Wow, this is more fun than I thought it would be.’

Ari mind-linked his brother.

‘Her scent is so intoxicating.’

Aslan replied

‘Why is that? She’s a wolf, she should not smell so fucking delicious.’

They began to drive me towards a dead end they knew about, and I had no idea I was being driven into.

Solar was so panicked by the sight of the two male lions that I could not reason with her.

‘Two of them, big males. Oh Goddess, Oh Goddess.’

She panted, already running out of energy. We had not eaten for almost forty eight hours because I had not let her hunt, and it told on our stamina very quickly. My adrenaline levels crashed as I realised we had run into a dead end.

‘Oh no, no, I’m so sorry, Dakota.’

She panted, turning to face our pursuers at last. Her whole body was shaking at the sight of the two huge male mountain lions blocking off our escape.

‘I’m sorry.’

Solar said again, standing square on our slender golden paws, her head almost touching the floor as she tried desperately to drag oxygen into our lungs,s our defiance evident. Slowly, she lifted her head to stare straight at them.

‘Fuck me, brother, will you look at that little thing challenging us?’

Aslan chuckled to his brother, they were so much bigger and more powerful than I was. Ari stared, watching as I shimmered in the late evening sunshine. He had never seen anything so beautiful. The little she-wolf had stunning russet-tipped fur, bright golden eyes and a lot of courage. She had to know she would not stand a chance against one mountain lion, let alone two Alpha male mountain lions. Yet there I was, growling low in my throat as he approached me.

'Submit little wolf. Don’t be so silly. We don’t want to hurt you.’

We were terrified, but I would not let Solar submit, so her only response was to bare our razor-sharp teeth, our ears went back, and our tail dropped between our back legs. I would not submit to any male without a fight.

Ari groaned and mind-linked his brother.

‘We need to make her shift brother, it’ll be easier to tame her in human form.’

Aslan’s eyes lit up.

‘I’m down with that, brother, I like the idea of taming her as a naked human female.’

They lowered their heads together, baring their huge, sharp teeth, approaching the tiny snarling little wolf with glowing golden eyes.

‘Shift, little wolf.’

They mind-linked me together, making me howl in pain as they pressured me with their Alpha commands.

‘Get. Out. Of. My Fucking. Head.’

I managed to snap back at them, surprising them with my strength of will as I backed away, shaking my head vehemently, but they sensed that I was weakening.