Chapter 2

POV Eric

Come nightfall I headed out to the South watch tower to meet Darien. He looked so much like the Alpha there was no mistaking they were brothers. Darien hovering over me at 6’ 4”, with his black hair, olive skin and dark blue eyes could pass for him if not for the neatly kept beard and scars. Before accepting my father’s offer to be his Beta, Darien had volunteered to be a warrior. For years he assisted other packs to help strengthen alliances. His face and chest held the scars of battle. Any opportunity to visit another pack was a chance to find his mate, he still hasn’t found her, but I think he still has hope. He is the packs best fighter and his wolf 2 nd largest, only slightly smaller than dads. Probably the one of the two reasons dad would agree to let me go on a patrol, that and we were going to the lake.

A large part of the southern border was the lake, by far our safest border. The lake is just over a mile wide. From one edge of our property to the other along the lake is lined with lake houses owned by humans. Rogues steer clear of human towns and other wear wolves are unlikely to try to invade for risk of exposing themselves.

Following Darien inside he shows me where I can put my clothes and shift. I call Braxton forward, feeling him pass through me and take control. Light grey hair sprouting all over my body, joints snapping, I’m brought to my knees. Twisting and contorting my body changing shape. It wasn’t as painful this time and within a few minutes I was once again a passenger in my body.

Alex, Darien’s massive dark silver wolf was waiting outside for me. “That didn’t take long.” Darien’s voice came through the link. Startling me, I hadn’t thought to use the packs' ability to mind link yet. There were so many things we learned about having a wolf I hadn’t even got to yet.

After a few hours of walking back and forth I was yawning uncontrollably. I have school tomorrow; I can’t believe mom decided to put me on patrol tonight. “If you’re tired, I can take it from here.” Braxton was still wired, excited to feel the dirt on his paws and wind in his hair.

“You sure, I hate to leave you alone out here.”

“I’m not alone I have Alex for company.”

Alex and Darien hadn’t said a word since leaving the watch tower. Alex constantly sniffing the air and observing the landscape. Focused solely on the job at hand. Darien had fallen asleep an hour ago.

I had nearly dozed off when Braxton’s right ear twitched and he whipped his head looking towards the mountain passed the lake houses. “What is it?”

“Nothing, I thought I heard something, but it must have been the wind. Get some rest.”

The night passed uneventfully, Braxton woke me back at the tower to shift and get ready for school.

Braxton slept most of the day through school which was a relief. I hadn’t figured out how to talk to him inside my head yet and I didn’t need to run around talking to myself of getting distracted in class.

Braxton started stirring during my last class of the day. Yawning and stretching “This sounds boring.”

“Shhh it’s werewolf studies.”

“Why do we need to study werewolves, we are one. Who is that? She’s so small, I bet her wolf is a chihuahua.” Braxton started making little yipping sounds and I couldn’t help but laugh.

Miss Evens eyes snapped to me “Something funny young Alpha?”

“No Miss Even’s, just something my wolf said.”

She crossed her arms and glared at me. “Yes, we’ve all heard you have your wolf, that’s no excuse to disrupt my class.”

Miss Evens was all of 4’ 10” with short auburn hair and round glasses that made her look like a little owl. Her small stature did not stop her from demanding respect. As one of the pack elders she is the keeper of all pack records and had scrolls and books that predates the founding of our pack. I’m not sure how old she is but I do know she was an advisor to my great grandfather and every Alpha since. What she lacked in size she made up for in knowledge of werewolf anatomy, able to take down wolves three times her size with precise and strategic blows. Miss Evens was never impressed with my father and by association me. She expected more of me than everyone else adding extra assignments and sending me home with different books to read saying they are things the Alpha should know.

My mother on the other hand, Miss Evens absolutely adores. She comes over every other weekend bringing cookies and they have afternoon tea. Whenever she looks at my father or I her expression changes as though she took a bite of a lemon.

Class was almost over Braxton, and I watched the seconds tick by. Just when I thought I would escape without extra homework Miss Evens walked up to my desk with an old leather-bound book. “Luna asked me to find this for you, she thought you might be interested.” Taking it from her hands with a defeated sigh I turned the book over looking at the brittle cover and binding. “Careful young Alpha it’s one of a kind and irreplaceable.”

“Of course, it is, it’s the only thing on earth older than her. Chapter one: Here I stand at the beginning of time watching the first sunrise.” Braxton commentary made me roll my eyes earning a raised eyebrow from Miss Evens.

“Sorry Miss Evens, my wolf again.”

“Would do him some good to pay attention in my class as well, being the next Alpha doesn’t leave room for ignorance or arrogance. You hear me little wolf.”

Braxton huffed mumbling to himself as he wondered off “Little, who’s she calling little, she could pass for a human pet… mean little….” He trailed off.

Opening the cover of the book to read the title before putting it in my bag to leave “Rare and Mythical Werewolf breeds by Alabaster Evens” I wonder if that’s any relation to Miss Evens.

On the way back home, I can feel Braxton stirring. Pacing anxiously “Something up with you?”

“Just thinking maybe, you could ask JoAnn if we could patrol again, it’s nice to get out and stretch my legs.”

“You really want to walk up and down the beach with Alex all night again?”

“It beats sitting around doing nothing.” Braxton shrugged.

Mom wasn’t home when we arrived, and the patrols were switching in a few hours, so I went to look for dad. Walking past the large double doors that separated his office from the dining room Braxton brought me to a halt. “What’s that?” He asked.

“It’s a topographical map of our lands.” I started pointing out the borders and areas of the human town we owned.

“And this.”

“That’s the ski resort on the mountain past the lake houses, it’s closed for the summer. Mom has a company that runs it when it’s open. One of the ways the pack makes money.”

I could hear dad get up from his chair and head towards us. Stopping behind me “Here we just purchased some land as your mother insists, we have a neutral area.”

“I was just coming in to see you, Braxton would like to patrol again.”

“As long as you get enough sleep for school, your mother will have my head if you miss school.”

“I wasn’t up to late; Braxton took over and I slept most of the night.”

“I heard.” He said with a slight grin. “I heard all about how he talked Alex’s ear off asking about patrols and the borders and human lands. I understand you are still to young for training but I’m glad to see you wolf taking an interest in our security.”

Of course, he had to slip in the part about me being too young for training.

The next few days passed by quickly Braxton had been returning to my room after patrol leaving my body sore and bits of sand in my bed.

It was the last day of school before summer, leave it to Miss Evens to be the only teacher to not let us have an easy day.

“We all know the south side of mountain is the resort, but can anyone tell me the history of the north side?”

A shy round faced red headed girl named Amber who sits next to me raised her hand.

“Yes Amber” Miss Evens pointed to her.

“When Alpha Marcus first came to the territory, they say he explored the cave system on the north face and found the remains of wearwolves that had been skinned.”

Braxton slammed forward “What!”

“It’s all rumors and legends, that area is off limits, and no one really knows what’s up there.” I told him.

The next morning, I could barely move, my whole-body aches. My eye feels like sandpaper I stretched before tossing off the covers and opening them. “What the fuck!” Me and the bed were covered in mud, dirt and dried blood. “Wake up Braxton.” I yelled. “Braxton!” I could feel him, but he was hiding somewhere in the back of my mind not answering.

Swinging my legs off the bed I go to stand and almost collapse my legs are made of jelly. “Seriously Braxton, answer me. Did you run a marathon or something last night? I know you can hear me.”

“Well…um… Alex and I got separated and I fell off a little bank into a bush.”

I immediately knew he was lying. “There aren’t any banks or bushes on the lake.”

Jumping into the shower chunks of mud and dried blood washing off me and down the drain I pull a twig and two leaves out of my hair. “What the hell is going on, no one likes to patrol, and you’ve asked to go every night and now I wake up looking like I got in a fight with Mother Nature herself.”

He is pacing, nervous, something is definitely going on.

“If you won’t tell me I’ll have my father, make you.” I regretted saying it as soon as the words left my lips. He is my wolf, and we are supposed to be a team but he’s hiding something. His curiosity about the land outside pack territory, four days on patrols, asking Alex weird questions.

“You know I can hear what you’re thinking right?” Braxton sat down heavily in the center of my mind.

“Your acting strange and there’s a thorn in my leg. What the hell happened last night.”

“How do you know I’m acting strange; you have a wolf before?” Braxton laid down and seemed to think for a minute. “I know we’ve only been together for a few days and the bond really isn’t there yet but I’m asking you to trust me. When I can I’ll tell you everything.”

I groaned “Fine but we take a break from patrols for a while.”

I spent most of the day being as lazy as possible trying to avoid mom and dad in case they had chores that needed done. By 6 o’clock I passed out for the night. Having the most vivid dream, running through the forest leaping logs and dodging trees. The moon glistening on the lake, running as hard as I could past the lake houses and around the edge of the town heading straight to the mountain.

“Eric wakes up. Wake up. Eric.” Braxton whispered over and over. I feel him shake me. “Eric, wake up. Please wake up.”

“What Braxton?” I groaned.

“I found her!”