Chapter 4 - Mate

If our speed doesn't drop below 100 miles per hour, it will take us twelve hours to drive from the human-populated city back to Silver Mountain Pack.

This is the only land travel I hate the most. The route was not bad, but we had to take a parallel road to the perimeter line of the River Bed Pack. 

Though Silver Mountain and River Bed are not considered enemy packs, we are not allies either. We share a two-hundred-mile boundary line with them, requiring nearly a third of our warriors to take several shifts on border patrol to avoid rogue or non-pack incursion. 

They do the same from their side of the perimeter line. Most of our border patrols engage in glowering and growling contests with theirs at any given time, or so I’ve heard from my father’s Delta and Gamma. 

I was wasted last night and swiftly drifted into a deep sleep the moment Arci stepped foot on the accelerator.

I don’t know how long I slept, but I was startled awake when Six started getting restless. “How far have we reached, Arci?” I ask while rubbing my eyes, trying to adjust to the sunlight. 

“We are still halfway. Do you want to freshen up? Ten miles down the road, there is a gas station and a diner,” Arci responded through the rearview mirror. He pointed to the road sign on our left, which featured a cutlery symbol and a pumping station. 

“That’s not necessary, Arci, where exactly are we? Six is getting fidgety, he is howling in my head, and it’s giving me a headache,” I blurted as I glanced outside the window, rubbing my temple with index and middle fingers in a circular motion. 

“The whole stretch on our right belongs to the Riverbed Pack. Oh, I forgot, we cannot stop anytime soon. This is not a friendly territory. You can freshen up after we pass the pack territory,” Arci murmured as he increased the car speed. 

After about five minutes, my wolf started acting nuts again, but this time, his level of crazy intensified. He wanted to take over. He growls loudly, terrifying Arci, who nearly loses control of the vehicle. The car made a hundred-eighty-degree turn, burning the tires screeching as we nearly collided with another vehicle from the opposite direction. Both the cars stopped a few inches from smashing the bumpers. 

My left hand grabbed the front passenger’s backseat tightly, and my right hand was pressed against the glass window. The seatbelt did a great job of keeping me in place, but the sudden circular motion churned my stomach and gave my head a hammering pain. The barf got stuck in my throat, but I swallowed it again. I can’t mess up the car’s expensive leather scent. I know it’s gross, but I am just being logical and considerate. 

Arci promptly removed his seatbelt, exited the car, and opened the backdoor next to my seat. “What the hell was that all about, Seb? Talk to me!” He scolded. He is not being disrespectful. Arci is like a family to the Alpha family and the only one aside from the ranked members who can call me and my brother Aleck by first name.

We are now facing the direction in which we came from: the human world. I stepped out of the car and steadied myself before emptying my stomach in the middle of the road. Arci handed me a bottle of water to wash my mouth, and I took it immediately. 

He put his hand on my shoulder, instructing me to stay inside the car. He assured me that he would settle with the other vehicle if there were damages. I understand the danger of dealing with strangers in unfamiliar territory, especially from a hostile pack. But I did not listen to my driver slash bodyguard. I want to find out why my wolf is suddenly acting strange. Could it be the passenger of the jeep?

“What the hell, Six? You almost killed us!” I chastised my wolf.

“I sensed our mate!” He screamed. “They are near!”

“Are you sure? We are in the middle of nowhere, Six,” I sighed. “We can’t just stroll around and sniff everyone to find our mate. The area is almost barren!” I added. 

Although there are establishments to cater to travelers every half mile or so, like repair shops, restaurants, pumping stations, and some shabby hotels owned by humans, we can’t be sure if they are just fronts for some rogues spying on werewolves and other supernatural creatures in the area. 

The driver of the other vehicle waved at us before sliding his head out of the window. " Is everything alright in there?” he probed. 

Arci waved back. “Yeah, I’ll come over,” he responded. He turned to me and asked, “Are you alright, Seb? You can stay here, wait for me in the car. This won’t take long. The driver looks cool to me…” he paused. “You can call your father if you want; he should know. " His eyes spoke more than he said. He must be worried about the location of the ‘near accident’ we just experienced.  He took the water bottle back, stuffed it in the backseat, and started walking to meet the driver of another vehicle. Suddenly, we sighted a group of warriors, werewolves in their human forms, jogging along the perimeter line of Riverbed Pack from our left. They must be the border patrol.

I stiffened when my eyes locked with the most chiseled man in front of the group. He was bare-chested, as with the rest of the guys. 

It’s strange. They are at least a hundred meters away, but I can see him as if he were in front of me. Everything and everyone else was blurry. They all wear cerulean-colored sweatpants, seemingly a pack uniform, unless they are awfully close to each other to wear identical clothing, which I highly doubt. I know that twinning attires has become an “in” thing for couples, but aside from a sports team, I haven’t seen a group wearing the same outfit just because they like it. My thoughts were abruptly interrupted when Six started chanting in my head. 

“Mate”

“Mate” 

“Mate”

“Mate”